Time Of Dying/Archive7
<< I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII - VIII - IX >> author="@violet" source="/post/145/thread" timestamp="1295525544"blockquoteface="Tahoma"color="666666"b“So what do ya think about this month’s recruits?”/b A light smirk crossed pinkish lips as Angeal just leaned against the railing, watching one of the recruits get his ass handed to him by nothing more than a mere holographic image. b“In my opinion, there’s a couple of good ones but the rest are gonna need some work.”/b A nod was given to that as he rubbed his scruffy chin./font/font face="Times"color="33FF99"iSephiroth just shook his head, not moving from his perch against the wall. None of the recruits were impressive at all, but then again, the man did set his standards pretty high when it came to combat skills. b“Not all of them will make it Angeal.”/b A light pause was given as a few silver tresses fell from his shoulder. b“At best, only a few will make it to 3rd Class and that’s it. The rest will become nothing more than grunts.”/b A nod was given to that as catlike hues peered down upon the training session in progress. b“In my opinion, if they can’t beat a holographic image, they’re not going to make it in the field.”/b/i/font/font face="Tahoma"color="666666"A heavy sigh rolled off his chest as he just leaned forward and shook his head. b“I guess you’re right.”/b Was said low as he tried to think but it was hard at the moment. After what went down at the crater, Angeal’s mood was a force to be reckoned with but at the same time, Sephiroth was still ill at the fact he was ordered to stay at the ShinRa building. He didn’t say anything about it, but Angeal knew his friend all too well and knew when he was irritated. b“Sephiroth, it’s over and done with and better that you stayed anyhow.”/b Hues slid shut as he shook his head once more before looking to his friend. b“I don’t think you would have been able to handle everything that happened out there.”/b/font/font face="Times"color="33FF99"iA stark brow slowly rose as his head tilted slightly. b“Angeal…”/b Light shock graced his tone as he just shook his head. b“Are you doubting me?”/b Arms slowly crossed as catlike hues pulsed. b“You know I would have protected her with my life…”/b He was about to give his friend a lecture on honor until the woman in question rounded the corner of the catwalk which prompted him to just look away. b“You know me better than that…”/b/i/font/font face="Century"color="Blue"Violet had quietly made her way up the stairs, catching wind of the conversation Angeal and Sephiroth were having – and it looked like she had picked a good time to show up. Hands slowly reached down to straighten her sweater dress before she rounded the corner, catching Sephiroth’s gaze before he looked away. b“Angeal has no doubts where you’re concerned – none of us do.”/b Words passed her lips lightly as she slowly stepped past Angeal to where Sephiroth stood. b“So you can just get that out of your head right now.”/b A light nod was given to that along with a warm smile. b“I was the one who chose who went and who stayed – and I wanted you to stay because I knew that with both you and Vincent here, Miss. Lucrecia would be safe.”/b/font/font face="Times"color="33FF99"iSephiroth shook his head, letting his foul mood drop for the time being as he looked down to the girl, returning her smile. b“Well, you made a wise decision but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”/b And he rest his case right there because he just didn’t want to argue with anyone, especially Violet. b“So is it time already?”/b He asked now looking away from her once more./i/font/font face="Century"color="Blue"A light sigh was given as she just turned and stepped over to where Angeal stood. b“No we still have some time. I don’t even know if Shalua has returned from Esthar or not.”/b Arms slowly crossed as she looked down to the training room – and what a sight she saw; there was a poor cadet getting slaughtered by a holographic training simulator. b“Giving the new recruits the ‘Zacky’ treatment are we?”/b Was said with a giggle as she looked to Angeal for a moment./font/font face="Tahoma"color="666666"b“You might say that…”/b Angeal said with a light grin looking to her and then Sephiroth. He was glad Violet showed up when she did; otherwise the situation could have gotten ugly. b“Ya gotta give him some credit though, he did make 1st Class, even has himself a girl now though he denies it.”/b A light shrug was then given. b“I think they got bored here and ran off to Junon because Starla wanted to catch up with her old friends or something like that.”/b/font/font face="Century"color="Blue"b“Well isn’t that sweet…”/b She paused, thinking for a moment. b“I haven’t seen Zacky in a long time to tell you the truth. He wasn’t even at 7th Heaven the last time I went to drop…”/b Lips curled for a moment as she caught herself, looking to Sephiroth and then back to Angeal. b“In-and-check-on-everyone.”/b Was quickly added as she casually leaned against the railing. b“I remember when you first introduced me to Zack…”/b A light giggle was then heard. b“Hi my name is Zack and you’re hot!”/b/font/font face="Tahoma"color="666666"Angeal chuckled and just shook his head. b“Yeah, I remember that day.”/b He began, standing up straight. b“You had just come back from Icicle Inn and Tseng made you come to the yearly conference.”/b A hand came to rest upon his chin as he slowly looked up. b“Zacky said you were hot and I told him not to even think about it.”/b He then turned to Sephiroth who seemed to be deep in thought now. b“You didn’t seem to take it all that lightly though…”/b And then he went silent knowing that his friend probably wouldn’t remember and would only get frustrated. b“Well enough reminiscing, looks like combat testing is over – I’d better go check the data and get back to the new recruits.”/b A light nod was given to that as he made his way to the stairs as he always did, leaving someone else to pick up the mess he made./font/font face="Century"color="Blue"All Violet could do was sigh as Angel took off, leaving her with Sephiroth who looked lost in thought. b“Yeah, that’s exactly what happened Angeal, exactly what happened.”/b She said low, slowly stepping away from the railing as hands came to rest upon her hips./font/font iface="Times"color="33FF99"Sephiroth had listened intently to the conversation and began to think back to that day that the two spoke of. He remembered it of course; the annual ShinRa conference that was pretty much mandatory for all executives and SOLIDER 1st Class as well as The Turks. Hues fell shut as he pictured the room in his head; and it was there, just like he had remembered the day Angeal first came to visit. As before, Zack was on his left with that annoying paddle ball and Genesis was on his right reading from Loveless, all three propped against the wall. b“Do you ever quit?”/b He said low. And once again, in his mind Genesis replied with a simple b‘No.’/b Things were just like before only the faces in the room weren’t blurry… And that’s when he saw her – the girl that had entered the conference room with Tseng. She was young, no older that eighteen at the most and she was dressed a little on the peculiar side, but still the most beautiful sight he had ever saw. So he continued to watch and after a while, Angeal approached and hugged her – of course, she was the one he went in search of at Icicle Inn three years prior. They talked for a while, but then it wasn’t long before Angeal was headed in their direction with the girl in tow. Sephiroth swallowed hard and shifted as he studied the girl more; and her eyes caught the bulk of his attention. They were blue and seemed to shimmer on their own accord. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t look away from them. color="666666"b“Hey guys! I’d like you to meet Violet. She’s the girl from Icicle Inn I told you about. Violet meet 1st Class SOLIDER Genesis, Sephiroth and Zack.”/b/font The girl then smiled and looked to Genesis and more importantly the book he was reading. color="Blue"b“Oh, it’s Loveless…”/b/font She said low, shaking her head. color="Blue"b“I don’t see why everyone likes it so much. Personally I don’t care for it.”/b/font And that’s when Genesis stopped reading, gave the girl a once over and walked away. color="Blue"b“Wow, was it something I said?”/b/font She asked now looking to Zack who seemed eager to shake her hand. bcolor="3399FF"“Hi! I’m Zack… And you’re hot!”/font/b He most bluntly said which earned a scowl from Sephiroth and a threat from Angeal. The spiky headed man just shrugged and walked off with his paddle ball… And then there were just two remaining. Sephiroth gently took the girl’s hand as head tilted slightly. b“Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, by the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore, though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou, I said, art sure no craven, ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -- tell me what thy lordly name is on the night's plutonian shore.”/b Was said aloud as he then brought her hand to his lips, kissing it lightly before she pulled away./font/font/i face="Century"color="Blue"b“Quoth the Raven, nevermore…”/b She said stepping closer to him as a smile crossed crimson kissed lips. Sephiroth must have been having another flashback but this time he remembered her; he went back to a time where she was there and remembered… b“You… Do remember me…”/b Was said at length as she took in everything that was happening. b“I knew you could do it!”/b At this point she didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry, so she did the next best thing and dove into his arms./font/font face="Times"icolor="33FF99"Catlike hues quickly opened when she spoke those words and he fell back into reality as she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck. b“I finally found you Cheri but…”/b A heavy sigh rolled off his chest as he happily wrapped his arms around the tiny girl. b“I want all my memories of you back, one just isn’t enough.”/b/font/i/font face="Century"color="Blue"That smile only widened as she looked up to him. b“Once you have one memory, the rest will follow you’ll see; in fact I have an idea, come on.”/b She pushed away from him and took his hand. b“There’s a place I’m almost sure will trigger a memory…”/b Head tilted slightly as she bit her lower lip now feeling a little pushy. b“Well, come if you want to.”/b That smile returned to her lips as she tugged on his arm just a bit, hoping he would say yes./font/font face="Times"color="33FF99"iHe didn’t resist when she pushed away and listened to all she had to say before deciding to give in. b“Lead the way Cheri, I’m all yours.”/b And with that he gave in to her tugging, following the girl anywhere she wished to take him./i/font/font/blockquote/quote ---- source="/post/146/thread" author="@vincent" timestamp="1295532980"blockquoteface="Trebuchet"color="660099"b“You still have them?”/b Shalua asked, eying the weapons tied around Shelke’s waist. They were the laser blades she used under command of Deepground. color="FF9933"b“Yep. I haven’t used them in a while, though.”/b/font Shelke replied, looking ahead. Her gaze was set, but her voice had emotion. It was very different than the last time they had talked. Shalua sighed and looked ahead. b“It looks like you found a life outside of Deepground. I feel kind of bad taking you away from it.”/b/font/font color="FF9933"At that, Shelke stopped. She watched Shalua take a few steps before stopping and turning. color="660099"b“What is it?”/b/font The older of the two asked, looking confused. She then heard Ruby catch up to them. bcolor="3333cc"“Takin’ a rest already?”/font/b She heard Cait Sith ask. Shelke turned and nodded to the cat, who was under Ruby’s arm. Shelke walked to a large rock nearby and sat down. She watched as Shalua took a seat next to her. b“At 7th Heaven…”/b She started quietly, b“I thought you were gone. So did you, I guess. I adapted to living with Tifa, Marlene and the others. It was…nice.”/b She said, looking up to the sky. She then looked to Shalua. b“Don’t get me wrong, though. You coming back, it shocked me, but I missed you. Really. You’re my sister, and I wouldn’t feel right staying in Esthar knowing that you’re back and working at ShinRa.”/b She watched Shalua just look at her, blinking, and smiled a bit./font color="3333cc"Cait wiggled a bit and jumped down from Ruby’s grasp and stepped over to some more rubble nearby and climbed up on one of the shorter rocks. b“It wouldn’t hurt ta sit down a moment!”/b He called to Ruby. He watched the girl approach and sit on a rock next to him. b“So…where did you come from?”/b He asked her, his tail moving back and fourth slowly./font face="Georgia"color="66CC66"Ruby glanced at the cat as she set Rochelli down next to her. b“Cosmo Canyon. Why?”/b She had gotten the impression this cat was way too curious. Of course, Ruby was curious about it, but she didn’t want to sound suspicious. b“I’m headin’ up to Midgar to be a medic an’ help with th’ rebuild an’ all.”/b She explained, holding back on her opinions of ShinRa Inc./font/font color="3333cc"Cait tilted his head curiously, his tail brushing his ear. b“Tha’s a long way ta walk fer a lass like yerself.”/b He then looked down, thinking. b“Ya have a generous plan there, though. Helpin’ folks an’ all.”/b He said, looking up again. They both looked to the sky for a minute. It was much brighter than it would have been out her a few years earlier. There were some thin, stretched-looking clouds floating by just slowly enough to play tricks on him. Cait Sith felt a bit strange, noticing things like that./font face="Georgia"color="66CC66"b“Do ya have a friend?”/b Ruby spoke up, glancing at the cat before looking back to the sky. b“…Not like th’ people in Esthar, but like Rochelli is ta me. It’s like we know everythin’, like we’re connected. Do ya know what tha’s like?”/b She finished, looking over to both cats. They were both transfixed with the clouds. iI think it’s a pillow.../i Rochelli thought, pointing a little arm towards the cloud in question. This caused him to fall back on the rock with a tiny squeak. iI like pillows!/i/font/font color="3333cc"He noticed Ruby looking at him out of the corner of his eye, but didn’t move. He knew what the girl was talking about, not doubting it for a second. b“Aye…”/b he answered, still looking at the clouds. He thought he saw a cloud that looked like a chocobo feather, but he wasn’t sure. He then heard a sound and looked over at Rochelli, who was lying back with his arms stretched out. b“Tired already, lad? We’ve still got a ways to go before Midgar.”/b/font face="Georgia"color="66CC66"b“Yes, that’s right.”/b Ruby remembered. She stood up and stretched before picking up Rochelli and heading over to where Shelke and Shalua were. b“Are we ready to go?”/b She asked the sisters, who were looking at the sky, as well. Shalua looked to Ruby and nodded, nudging Shelke./font/font/blockquote/quote ---- author="@elliot" timestamp="1295538027" source="/post/147/thread"blockquoteface="Book"color="990099"b“I’m still not too clear on how Jenova’s head is going to merge with Doctor Crescent but…”/b He paused for a moment to gaze into that single glowing red eye of the monster that almost wiped out humanity – or what was left of it anyway. b“But I guess that’s Violet’s department.”/b It came a time where Doctor Faremis had to realize that he was only one person and not meant to understand everything – but just like everyone else, he didn’t want to accept it. b“Watch and learn I suppose…”/b Was said as he stepped away from the cryogen tube that housed the monster and turned towards Lucrecia who was laid out on a table, hooked up to various life support devices. b“Arianah, what’s her vital status?”/b He asked, now flipping through a few pages that were clamped to his clipboard./font/font face="Courier"color="CC66CC"b“Vital status is stable Doctor.”/b The girl said, not looking away from the calamity encased in the cryogen tube. She had never seen Jenova, only heard stories as a child about the calamity from the skies. It seemed that the human race was more at fault than the monster herself. They didn’t have to excavate her from the crater and they didn’t have to experiment with her cells – but those who chose that path, ultimately made the whole world suffer greatly. b“We still have plenty of time, though the sooner we get this over and one with, the better…”/b She finally finished, shaking her head. The creature was almost hypnotic at times and it was so hard to look away. Slim frame then turned as she made her way towards the door, stopping for a moment. b“You’re not…”/b She began but then stopped, shaking her head once more. b“Nevermind, that question would have been irrelevant to the current project…”/b Arianah was going to ask her Father if he planned on keeping any of the cells around the lab; but she knows him better than that and knows he wouldn’t do such a thing. In fact he would have been… b“Appalled at the question…”/b She said aloud as the door behind her hissed shut. It didn’t stop her from worrying though…/font/font face="Book"color="990099"The clip board was tucked underneath his arm as he watched his daughter disappear into the other room. A questionable brow slowly rose as he began to dig through his pockets. b“I’m not what?”/b He asked, finally finding the syringe and bottle of sedative. The partial question was then shaken off as the cap covering the needle was removed and placed into the bottle of clear liquid. b“This will probably be your last dosage of sedative for the night…”/b The plunger was slowly pulled as hues carefully eyed the correct dosage before pulling the needle out and dropping the bottle back into his pocket. b“I just don’t want you to feel any kind of pain Doctor Crescent.”/b A nod was given to that as he tapped the syringe just a bit before slightly pressing the plunger, sending a few droplets of the sedative flying from the needle into the air. b“Just know that you’re in good hands my dear…”/b A nod was given to that as he then injected the patient with the sedative and quickly removed the needle, placing the cap back on./font/font color="3333cc"Dark eyes were fixed on what they could see of the equipment in the other room, but Reeve was off in his own world at that point. He had been thinking about the procedure about to take place, but at the moment, his mind was wandering. That Ruby girl certainly showed a resemblance to his mother, but he still couldn’t remember any mention of family outside of Midgar. She probably doesn’t know about him or what they can do. Well, she might, seeing Rochelli, but she hadn’t used the ability very much. He remembered when Cait Sith couldn’t walk or talk. He was maybe nine at the time…or was it ten? Either way, it was a long time ago, and he’s only gotten better. When he heard the door to the main room open, he paid it little mind, but he couldn’t ignore a voice. He snapped back to reality, not quite hearing what Arianah had said. He looked around, seeing that no one else had come in, then balled his hands together and rested his scruffy chin on them./font face="Courier"color="CC66CC"The light rustling of taffeta echoed through the dimly lit room as Arianah made her way to one of the control panels that lined the side wall of the conference room. b“The last dose of sedatives has been administered and as soon as everyone arrives we will be ready to start the procedure.”/b Was said in her usual monotone fashion as she tapped up a few keys bringing up a simulation of sorts. It basically showed what was going to happen prior to the merge. b“Doctor Faremis’ main concern is keeping the patient sedated through the whole operation – he doesn’t want her to feel any pain because probabilities show there will be fighting due to Jenova’s violent nature in the past.”/b A light pause was given as she just shook her head. b“My feelings on this are irrelevant but I’m still unsure about this due to hostility levels of certain parties involved. I am armed with BC092-04 tranquilizer darts in an event anything should go wrong.”/b Stoic expression never left pale features as she moved to the next control panel, bringing up information on the tranquilizers. They were nothing more than high powered elephant darts but when administered to a human, they really packed a punch./font/font color="3333cc"Reeve nodded, not taking his head from his hands. He knitted his brows as he listened, still trying to fully regain focus. He just figured here’s a lot going on, and after this he just needed to clear his head. b“Yes, I understand.”/b he said, straightening up in his chair, his hands still together. b“Judging from previous engagements, that is a relevant precaution. Also…”/b He trailed off, leaning back and turning towards the logic-minded girl(as far as Reeve could tell), b“Feelings are not totally irrelevant. Granted, irrational ones can lead an operation awry, those that aren’t can usually be followed up on to a greater effect. Just as you’ve prepared tranquilizers, you can be sure the others are prepared for dire consequences, as well. That, or we’re all just positive pessimists.”/b He added, bringing one hand to his chin, watching the girl speculatively./font face="Courier"color="CC66CC"A light shake of the head was given as she moved to another control panel that displayed vital signs for both Jenova and Lucrecia. b“Whether it be rational or irrational feelings, mine are still irrelevant. I base my actions on logic and logic alone even though sometimes it may seem as if they’re emotionally drawn.”/b She hit a few keys before moving on to the control panel next to the window; it was the main controls. b“When meteor fell, my mother died and I was mortally wounded. In the end, Father did what he had to do to save me.”/b Arms slowly crossed as she turned to Reeve. b“I am 65% synthetic animatronic and 35% flesh and blood. I figured you of all people would have noticed Mister Tuesti…”/b A smile followed by a wink was given as she then stepped past Reeve and headed for the door to the lab. b“You’re more than welcomed to come see Doctor Crescent, you know that right?”/b/font/font color="3333cc"b“Hmm, well that iis/i understandable.”/b He noted with a bit of an inflection, showing a bit of a smirk as he watched her cross the room. b“I think I’ll stay here for now. I’ve got a lot on my mind at the moment. I also don’t want to be caught between her and Vincent whenever he arrives.”/b Come to think of it, where was he? Reeve hadn’t heard a thing about him since before they left for the crater. He had to still be in the building somewhere./font face="Courier"color="CC66CC"b“Yes, of course…”/b Was said as she made her way through the door and into the lab. A light sigh was then heard as she then stepped over to her Father, head tilting to one side. b“She’s already spoken for and in a way, you are too.”/b A light smile crossed dark lips as arms slowly crossed. b“I may be all logic but I can still sense and feel human emotion. That’s how you designed me.”/b/font/font face="Book"color="990099"Lanky frame shifted as he turned his attention to Arianah. b“It isn’t like that; I just admire her work that’s all.”/b A nod was given to that as he stepped over to the cryogen tube that housed Jenova. b“Me, spoken for? By whom?”/b He asked, puzzled, as he began checking the control panel on the tube./font/font face="Courier"color="CC66CC"That smile only widened as she shook her head. b“Spoken for by two women in fact.”/b Head tilted slightly as she watched making sure he didn’t mess anything up. b“You are my Father despite the fact you don’t act like it at all – I’m nothing more than another subject in your experiments it seems.”/b A light pause was given as her expression stayed stoic despite the fact the human side of her ached… Everything that’s happened as of late hit a soft spot and she began to notice her Father wasn’t the man he used to be. b“And then there’s Elena… Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed?”/b/font/font face="Book"color="990099"Faremis just shook his head and turned towards the door leading to the meeting room. b“Arianah, now is not the time for this.”/b He snapped as the door hissed open. b“We’ll discuss these matters later.”/b Dark brows knitted together as he stepped past Reeve to where the control panels were lined up. It’s not that he was pushing his own flesh and blood aside, he just didn’t realize what he was doing and when she brought it up he told her and himself that he would deal with it later – and he never did. b“There are more important things at hand right now.”/b A nod was given to that as he focused on the monitor displaying vital stats./font/font face="Courier"color="CC66CC"Arianah followed Doctor Faremis into the conference room listening to everything he had to say which made her smile fade back into the grim, lifeless expression she always held. b“Yes Doctor, my apologies… I keep forgetting it’s all irrelevant to the current operation.”/b But in her opinion it just wasn’t. Lips curled as she looked to Reeve and then to Faremis before forcing herself to forget she still felt emotional pain. b“I will… Conduct a system functionality scan.”/b Was all she said before stepping over to the main control panel./font/font color="3333cc"Sitting with most of his face covered by his hands, Reeve watched the exchange with a hurt look. Where she was the logic, he was the empathy, he guessed. He closed his eyes to think, but didn’t get the chance when he heard the door out to the hall hissed open. Reeve’s gaze quickly shot in that direction to catch Shalua entering with Shelke right behind. A moment after, Ruby entered with Rochelli in one arm and Cait Sith in the other. Reeve quickly stood as Cait Sith jumped from Ruby’s arm and ran to him. b“Um, yes, hello. Er…”/b Ruby didn’t need to be here now. b“I’m Reeve Tuesti, Head of Urban Development for ShinRa.”/b/font face="Georgia"color="66CC66"Ruby tilted her head, as did Rochelli. She glanced over at Cait Sith, who was standing on the table. He just gave her a thumbs-up sign with that goofy toy-cat-grin. She then looked back up to Reeve, who was standing in front of her now. She pushed up her glasses, noticing that he was really tall. A grin appeared on her face. b“Head o’ Urban Development, aye? Ruby Kilgore, at yer service!”/b/font/font color="3333cc"Surely this girl wasn’t here for a construction job. iShe wants ta be a medic./i Cait Sith thought. b“Ah, yes. Let’s go talk a moment and get you situated.”/b He then looked to the others. b“I’ll just be a moment.”/b He explained before heading out with Ruby and Rochelli./font color="FF9933"Shelke waited a moment, and then turned to Shalua. b“Shouldn’t we get my situation straightened out as well?”/b Shalua looked down at her sister a moment. color="660099"b“Actually, we have something to take care of first and we need you…”/b/font/font face="Book"color="990099"b“Oh yes that’s fine Reeve take all the time you need, we’re still waiting on the others.”/b He said before tapping a few keys. A light nod was given as he forced a smile, pulling his clip board from beneath his arm. b“Her vitals are looking rather well if I do say so myself and I don’t think the life support was all that necessary but just as a precaution…”/b He trailed off looking to Shalua and more importantly the little girl standing next to her. b“And you must be Shelke.”/b He made his way over to the two and kneeled in front of her. b“I’m Doctor Faremis; it’s a pleasure to meet you…”/b He trailed off now getting a closer look at her and then it hit him like a ton of bricks. i“What are you doing? You can’t just conduct experiments on an innocent child!”/i It felt as if he were in the Deepground lab all over again. i“It’s not right I tell you! Take me instead but let her go… You can’t do this you’re making a big mistake…”/i Grey hues fell shut as he just shook his head and stood. b“You… You’ll have to excuse me; I’m a little tired that’s all.”/b He finished, turning towards the lab. b“But if you will, I would like to explain the procedure a little more in depth…”/b/font/font/blockquote/quote ---- author="@violet" source="/post/148/thread" timestamp="1295544210"blockquoteface="Century"color="Blue"Blues peered out over the Midgarian skyline; the sun had just set and the stars were beginning to glisten in the night sky. They were easy to spot on the right side of the city, the part that had yet to be reconstructed but the left was another story. Shades of green illuminated the darkness just as it did years ago even though it just wasn't the same, the effect was still there. Reeve and his advanced Mako conserving technology was to thank for that and well, Violet supposed it was a good thing. A light sigh passed lips as the wind picked up just a bit, cooling the warmth in her cheeks. b“So this doesn’t bring back much at all does it?”/b She finally asked, looking over her shoulder to the man who had been standing behind her for the longest time. Tiny hands wrapped around the railing for a moment before she turned around. b“I figured it would though; this was one of your favorite spots and mine too.”/b/font/font face="Times"color="33FF99"iSephiroth just shook his head as arms slowly crossed. They had been there for what seemed like hours and nothing was familiar about the place. b“No I’m sorry…”/b He started, but then watched as she turned around. Once again, if felt as if he had been here some time in the past. color="Blue"b“Somehow I knew I wasn’t alone, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be asleep or something?”/b/font Her voice echoed in his head as the view changed drastically. Heavy frame slowly stepped closer to the girl as a leather clad hands came to rest upon the railing on either side of her. b“I’ll sleep when I’m dead…”/b He mumbled low, looking deep into her eyes. They reminded him of the stars in the night sky; always glistening but yet they held all kinds of emotion rarely seen by the general public./i/font/font face="Century"color="Blue"A light smile crossed ruby kissed lips as she looked away for a moment. b“Well that’s never a good thing to say ya know?”/b/font/font face="Times"color="33FF99"iHe shook his head as a leather clad hand rose to brush against her cheek. b“I know, but I said it anyway didn’t I?”/b/i/font/font face="Century"color="Blue"b“Yes you did but…”/b A light shake of the head was given as her lips just drew closer to his. b“You shouldn’t say things like that because…”/b But before she could finish, her phone began to ring and she instinctively reached for it./font/font face="Times"color="33FF99"iSephiroth just shook his head as his hand caught hers before she could pluck her phone from its resting place. b“You don’t have to answer it you know…”/b He said low pulling her closer./i/font/font face="Century"color="Blue"b“I know but…”/b She began, lightly pulling her hand from his and with one quick motion she slid from his grip, ducked under his arm and darted across the landing. b“That’s not how it happened…”/b A nod was given to that as she plucked her phone from her coat pocket and answered – it was Tseng checking up on her./font/font face="Times"color="33FF99"iA frustrated grunt passed pale lips as he peered out over the skyline remembering how aggravated he became when her phone rang. He then sighed and turned to her, glairing as she put her phone away. He was still teetering on the edge of the past and present; the image of her was a strange mix of blurs and defined forms, but he knew it was her./i/font/font face="Century"color="Blue"And it was just as she thought, by the look he was giving her she knew she hit something but he seemed to be stuck in the past maybe? A light shake of the head was given as she slowly stepped over to him and took his hand, pulling on it lightly. b“Sephie? Sephie wake up we have to get going…”/b/font/font face="Times"color="33FF99"iHues slowly fell shut as he shook his head for a moment now crashing back into reality. b“Yeah, I… Think we should, everyone at the lab will be waiting.”/b All he could do at that point was smile and follow her lead as they entered the building and headed for the lab./i/font/font/blockquote/quote ---- timestamp="1295639617" source="/post/149/thread" author="@shalua"blockquotecolor="FF9933"b“Dr. Lucrecia Crescent.”/b Shelke stated her eyes big. b“I can feel it now. Though the data in my mind is complete, I feel…like we’re one in the same, like I‘m looking at myself.”/b She stepped a bit closer, but Shalua pulled her back. color="660099"b“Not yet.”/b/font She said solidly. color="660099"b“Do you understand what we’re going to do?”/b/font Shelke nodded solidly./font face="Book"color="990099"A light smile crossed pale lips as he watched for a moment before stepping over to them. b“Doctor Crescent still carries Jenova cells so in order for us to rid her of them-”/b He paused for a moment turning to the cryogen tube on the other side of the room which housed Jenova’s remains. b“We have to merge Jenova with her and perform a separation via Holy power.”/b He fidgeted for a moment before shaking his head. b“But when our dear Azure arrives, you will have to speak with her about that.”/b/font/font color="FF9933"b“I’m not familiar with Jenova at all, but I’m ready for anything.”/b She said, not taking her eyes off of Lucrecia and placing a hand on one of her swords. Her eyes faded to orange for an instant, then back as she let go. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that, though./font face="Book"color="990099"Arms slowly crossed as he looked down for a moment before shaking his head. b“I wish it were as simple as that but-”/b And he left it at that knowing the girls could fill in the blanks themselves. b“If we could harness the power of Holy as we’ve done with Mako it would make things a lot simpler but there’s no way that can be done and I’m not going to try.”/b Because Faremis knew all too well what would happen./font/font face="Century"color="Blue"The door to the lab hissed open as Violet made her way through followed by Sephiroth, who quickly made his way over to Lucrecia without a word. Violet then stopped and shook her head. b“Yes I remember I said she couldn’t speak to you while in cryogen but now she’s heavily sedated.”/b/font/font face="Times"color="33FF99"iStark brows knitted together as catlike hues pulsed slightly. b“Is this really necessary? I don’t think Mother would-”/b A light pause was given as he eyed Violet for a moment before looking back to Lucrecia. b“Nevermind, she still carries the cells…”/b And with that he moved over to the cryogen tube where Jenova was being contained. He studied the lifeless head for a moment, taking note of her long stark tresses and youthful complexion that reminded him of his own./i/font/font face="Century"color="Blue"A heavy sigh rolled off her chest as aqua hues followed Sephiroth when he made his way across the room to Jenova. b“The calamity reduced to nothing but a head in a jar… Funny how things seem to work out no?”/b Then a look of concern crossed features as Sephiroth looked to be comparing himself to the monster. b“Sephie don’t do this to yourself!”/b Brows knitted as she just shook her head. b“You have nothing in common with that damn pickled head and if you want the honest truth, you look a little like Miss. Lucrecia and a little like Hojo before he got all old and wrinkly.”/b/font/font face="Book"color="990099"Faremis wanted to laugh at all this but he knew it was serious business so he kept his expression stoic, taking a moment to shift before speaking up. b“She’s right; it’s not hard to tell just who your Mother really is Sephiroth.”/b/font/font face="Century"color="Blue"A shrug was given to that. b“See, even Faremis agrees.”/b She followed up, stepping over to where Shalua and the little girl stood. b“So I see you made it back to the fifth dimension of hell.”/b She couldn’t help but chuckle as she looked down to the girl… The very familiar girl. b“Shelke, it’s good to see you again.”/b A warm smile was given as she extended her hand to the girl before looking to Sephiroth who had moved back to Lucrecia’s side; he seemed preoccupied for the moment which was good. b“Care to come have a chat with me in the next room? Just need to kind of explain some things.”/b A pause was given as she then looked to Shalua. b“You can come too if you like.”/b/font/font color="FF9933"Shelke turned around to see Violet behind her and felt a sort of detached sense of elation. b“It’s good to see you, too.”/b She said, smiling. Her proximity to Doctor Crescent must have been affecting the data within her normal network. She then nodded and followed Violet into the conference room./font face="Century"color="Blue"The door hissed open as Violet made her way into the room taking note of Arianah standing at one of the control panels and Cait Sith sitting in a chair staring off into space. A clueless look crossed features as she just shook her head turning to Shelke as the door hissed shut. b“Before I get down to the basics of what’s going to happen out there once Jenova and Miss. Lucrecia are merged-”/b She began as she kneeled in front of the little girl so that they were at eye level. b“How are Kane and Abel doing? I just miss them so much but it wouldn’t be right to bring them back into all this mess.”/b/font/font color="FF9933"Shelke looked down a moment, not expecting that question. b“They… they’re fine. They’re having a lot of fun.”/b She answered, looking back up. b“I have heard very little about Jenova, but I believe you know what you are doing.”/b She said, putting her hands together and nodding lightly./font/blockquote/quote << I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII - VIII - IX >>